


Up Against Oblivion

by vvxw



Category: Sanditon (TV 2019), Sanditon - Jane Austen
Genre: Angst, F/M, Jealousy, Mutual Pining
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-04
Updated: 2020-08-25
Packaged: 2021-01-22 17:48:06
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,006
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21306074
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vvxw/pseuds/vvxw
Summary: Sidney and Charlotte are licking their wounds after their brutal parting. What happens when they are forced to re-enter society and rub elbows? Can they sit idly by and watch the other move on?Angst/somewhat slow burn but with an ending Austen would approve (happy, that is).
Relationships: Charlotte Heywood/Original Character(s), Charlotte Heywood/Sidney Parker
Comments: 35
Kudos: 198





	1. Chapter 1

Sidney knew not what time it was when he finally stumbled back to his room in Trafalgar House. Lately he and Crowe had made a habit of closing out the pub together, drinking more than their share of brandy and chasing all thoughts of _her_ out of his mind. His friend Crowe had a way of distracting him, of making him laugh and feel like the reckless boy he used to be rather than the pathetic urchin he lately felt. Most nights it almost worked, the brandy dulling everything until the curls and freckles in his mind’s eye were blurred into an unrecognizable whirl.

The worst was overhearing someone mention her name, and he would be damned if _everyone_ in this godforsaken town didn’t somehow know her. For such a small woman, she certainly made a gargantuan impression. His heart seemed to give a feeble throb as he considered her immensity. Slipping off his boots and carelessly falling into bed with most of his day clothes still on, Sidney allowed himself to think of nothing else but the feeling of kissing her as oblivion slowly overtook him.

Tom made his awakening rather rude the following morning, loudly proclaiming the entire room “smelled of drink,” and that it was a miracle Sidney had made it home the night before. Sidney groaned and tested the opening of one eye before giving it up as a bad job—the room was spinning and his head was pulsating painfully. Tom set a pitcher of water on the bedside table and stood himself in front of Sidney’s head sternly.

“Sidney, you need to desist this behavior,” he said, softer than he meant to. “You cannot be overindulging every night once you’re a married man, it’s unhealthy and unseemly.”

“Ah, I would hate to appear unseemly,” Sidney said, his voice flat.

“Come now, Eliza does not deserve this. She is a gentle woman,” Tom said.

“Eliza has everything she could ever hope for,” Sidney replied, wishing Tom would leave him to wallow. “If I am a disappointment, it is only because she believes me to be someone I’m not. 

Tom seemed not to know how to respond to this. Sidney was glad for the silence—he was positive that he would vomit if he had to open his mouth again.

“If that is how you truly feel, I am sorry for you,” Tom said very quietly, before turning and leaving the room.

Sidney allowed himself to feel guilty for just a moment before his self-pity tightened its grasp on his heart. He knew that, just a few weeks ago, Tom was likely unaware of Sidney’s feelings for…for his houseguest. Hell, Sidney had practically made it his mission to disguise how he felt, so as not to make himself more vulnerable in the event she did not reciprocate. However, since Sidney had driven her from Sanditon, he had forgotten any reason for guarding his true feelings. He made frequent quips about the true nature of Eliza’s investment, and more than once alleged that he was disgusting for selling his heart and soul.

These comments upset Mary deeply, Sidney knew. She had been quite taken with her houseguest, and seemed to enthusiastically support the match with Sidney. To have faced the prospect of losing everything, including her husband, was a harrowing ordeal without having the added benefit of making two loved ones miserable. He knew Mary did not relish the solution Sidney had brokered. Despite this, he was incapable of stopping himself. When _she_ left, she took with her his interest in what anyone thought of him. The sieve that ordinarily filtered out distasteful comments or thoughtless words had a gaping hole now, or else was gone entirely.

As Sidney dressed for the day and used some of Tom’s water pitcher to splash on his face, he heard voices in the foyer that could only mean a caller at Trafalgar House. His head still throbbed dully as he steeled himself against the prospect of facing his fiancé.

Sure enough, as he descended the stairs and entered the dining room, Eliza Campion was waiting there for him, porcelain smile plastered on her pretty face. Sidney nodded to her in greeting and sat down at the table.

“Good morning, Sidney,” Eliza said in a singsong voice. “You look dreadful. Did you have a fitful sleep?”

“I slept quite soundly, actually,” Sidney replied, not looking up at her as he buttered a slice of toast. “Brandy usually does the trick.” He could almost hear the smile fall from her face and felt satisfied.

He knew that she had expected to purchase the version of Sidney he had wanted to give her 10 years earlier—unfortunately for her, that version of him died when he watched his love’s carriage disappear beyond the outskirts of the town. He could not be the man Eliza wanted even if he tried. Although, to be fair, Sidney did not want to be that man. If Eliza was unhappy, that was no matter to him. He was fulfilling the terms of their contract, nothing more or less.

“There’s been a letter from London,” Eliza said, with a false air of nonchalance that told Sidney this was the reason for her calling so early. “There’s to be a ball in our honor.”

Sidney looked up at her at this, his eyebrows shooting up.

“In our honor?”

“Well, it’s not in our honor, but it will be the perfect opportunity for us to debut our engagement. We will be the focus of the whole ball!” Eliza clapped her hands together at this, and Sidney could see she was truly giddy at the idea of eclipsing every other guest.

He weighed his options carefully. On the one hand, the idea of being paraded around high society like some sort of trophy made him sick to his stomach (even moreso than before). On the other hand, there was nothing for him in Sanditon anymore. The only thing that had mattered here—the only thing that had given this town any meaning of import—was gone, and she was never coming back. He was reminded of that at every turn, and it was driving him to insanity and liver poisoning. Sidney knew he couldn’t go on like this, as Tom had told him only that morning.

“Very well,” he told Eliza, returning to his toast. He poured himself a cup of tea, which offered small comfort to his aching body. Perhaps a trip to London could shake him of his ghost.

__

In Willingden, Charlotte similarly had a problem. She could not stop crying long enough to accomplish anything. Her parents had been quite sympathetic when she explained to them that she had come close to being engaged only to suffer an immense disappointment, and a few of her older siblings offered words of comfort. The younger siblings, or those too young to understand love, were told that Charlotte was unwell, which explained why she refused to leave her room for weeks after returning home.

Thrice a day her sisters, with whom she shares a room, attempt to rouse her with games, or meals, or the promise of a beautiful day, but Charlotte casts them off, or otherwise sits quietly while they titter around her, brushing her hair or scrubbing her clean.

She knows she is being pathetic. She knows she should be helping her family with chores, or doing something, anything, to take her mind off of a Mr. Sidney Parker. Unfortunately for all of the Heywoods, Charlotte is finding this most impossible. He is all she can think on, and she suspects that she calls out his name when she sleeps.

So when Charlotte’s mother gently knocks on the door and pokes her head in, Charlotte expects much of the same: pleading with her to leave the room and telling her she will heal in time. What she doesn’t expect is a letter from Lady Susan of Worcester, and it seems Mrs. Heywood is just as surprised as Charlotte is.

_Dear Charlotte_,

_I am hoping this letter finds you well and safely back home in Willingden. I trust you have been keeping yourself busy and spending much valuable time catching up with your family. _

_I know you have suffered a great disappointment, but I also know how strong you are. It’s impossible to keep you down for long, Charlotte. That’s what I admire most about you._

_It’s for this reason I’d like to invite you to an upcoming society ball in London. I think some dancing and mingling would befit you, and I’d like to introduce you to some of my particular friends._

_I understand if you are hesitant to accept this offer, but I would urge you to consider what an opportunity for adventure this is. I think it could be just the thing to uplift your spirits._

_If you oblige me this, please send your correspondence along and I will send all the details._

_Give my best to your family,_

_Susan_

Charlotte finished reading and passed the letter to her mother. How she wished she could return to just a few weeks ago, when an invitation to a high-society ball in London would have been the highlight of her life. Now the very prospect of having to hold in her tears for an entire evening was enough to set her on edge.

Her mother finished reading the letter and gasped softly.

“Oh, Charlotte! How exciting. Well you must go,” she said.

“I absolutely mustn’t,” Charlotte replied, moving away from her mother.

“Now now,” her mother said, becoming somewhat stern. “Your father and I have allowed you to lock yourself in your room to lick your wounds, but we will not permit you to throw away your life.” Charlotte looked at her, surprised.

“I’m not throwing away my life,” she said, indignant. “Mother, I’m just—”

“No. You have sat up here feeling sorry for yourself for too long,” said Mrs. Heywood. “I expect you to send your reply right away and begin packing.”

“But I don’t—”  
  
“If you won’t do it for you, do it for me,” she said, and Charlotte could see tears in her eyes now. “I know your heart is broken, but it has been torturous seeing you like this and knowing we could do nothing. Go to London, try to enjoy yourself, and if you still want to mope when you return, we can discuss it.”

There was nothing for it; Charlotte could not rebuff such a reasonable request. Within three days she had the details from Lady Susan and was on her way to London.

__

Georgiana was waiting in the parlor when Sidney and Eliza arrived at the Parker apartments in London. She greeted Sidney politely enough, and was outright cold to Eliza, who seemed not to care.

“You look terrible, Sidney,” she told him once they had settled on the sofa. “Have you been sleeping?” Sidney worked his jaw before answering. It was true that he had neglected his shaving, and the bags under his eyes were more pronounced than ever.

“Wedding preparations have me a bit ragged,” he said. Eliza seemed like she had something to say to this, but thought better of it.

“Are you quite excited for the ball tomorrow, Georgiana?” Eliza asked. “You know, all of the most important people in London will be there.”

“I don’t care about any of them,” Georgiana said, leaning back in her chair. “The only reason I’m going to this tedious ball in the first place is to see Charlotte.”

Georgiana’s barb hit its mark: Sidney’s head snapped forward, and Eliza went rigid beside him. Sidney felt his mouth go dry. Eliza recovered first.

“Miss Heywood is attending the ball? What a small world, I was under the impression this event would be a bit more…exclusive,” Eliza said with barely disguised venom.

“Charlotte has a tendency towards making friends, and has won the favor of Lady Susan of Worcester,” Georgiana said, sizing up Eliza with a glance. “She’s attending the ball as Lady Susan’s guest.”

“Please excuse me,” Sidney said suddenly, rising from his seat and moving toward the door. Without another word, he strode upstairs and bolted himself inside his room. His head was spinning.

Sidney was not exactly sure what he had been expecting. Had he thought he would never see her again? That she would return to Willingden and live out her days there, an old maid eternally in love with him? No, it was absurd. Of course Lady Susan was going to help her enter society properly, meet a perfectly _lovely_ gentleman, probably with some stupid name. He would be kind to her, worship the very ground she walked on, and she would marry him in a heartbeat. Sidney felt like someone was squeezing his heart as he imagined her happy and swollen with someone else’s child.

He couldn’t do anything for it now, and allowed his swallowed sobs to break through. His breathing was hitched and painful, and Sidney slid down to sit on the floor as he wept. It was bad enough to have lost her, his dear love. Now he had to stand by and watch as she fell in love with someone else. He was spinning out—it was all too much for a man to bear.

After some time had passed and Sidney’s breathing evened out, there was a soft knock on his door. It opened a crack and he could see Georgiana’s eye appraising him before swinging the door open wider to enter. 

“I knew something was the matter with you,” she said, shutting the door behind her.

“Whatever do you mean,” Sidney said, his voice flat and gravelly.

“You really love her, don’t you?” Georgiana whispered. Sidney looked up at her and saw sympathy in her eyes rather than contempt or suspicion.

“I am pathetic,” he said. He could not bring himself to admit the truth to Georgiana, not when he never got to tell _her_ he loved her.

“Yes, you are,” she said. For a moment, they sat in comfortable silence. Then, “She loves you too, you know.” Sidney stared at her, searching for any hint of joke or insult. He found none.

“I have destroyed…everything,” he told her. “I cannot face her at the ball.”

“You can and you will,” Georgiana said. “It is your nature to put duty above all else.” With that, she turned and left him.

__

Charlotte found that her anxiety around returning to London was somewhat unfounded. For one thing, the circumstances were markedly happier. She was not fearful of anyone’s life, and did not bear the burden of guilt she had during her last visit. She was also afforded the luxury of a carriage directly to her destination, as well as a comfortable place to stay.

More than comfortable, actually—Lady Susan’s home was like a dream. There were shelves upon shelves of books in just about every room, and it seemed every piece of furniture served as a comfortable reading nook. Charlotte had never seen so many tomes in a single room, and delighted in running her fingers along the collections.

The day of the ball, Lady Susan took Charlotte out in London proper, and they had so much fun visiting little boutiques and buying trinkets for Charlotte to bring back to her family in Willingden. Lady Susan was much too kind and bought a brand new gown for Charlotte to wear to the ball, a lovely violet number with elegant silk sashes. After, they had a grand time visiting a salon to have their hair coiffed.

Once Charlotte was dressed and ready for the ball, Lady Susan remarked about her new gown.

“You are an absolute vision, Charlotte. I don’t doubt you’ll turn a fair few heads tonight,” she said. Charlotte’s stomach twisted uncomfortably.

“I’m still not entirely sure I’m ready to be out in society,” she replied.

“Nonsense. It’s always uncomfortable the first time after a heartbreak,” Lady Susan told her. “But getting the first one over with is the most important step to becoming more comfortable.”

Charlotte tilted her head and eyed Lady Susan warily. Lad Susan smiled and offered Charlotte her arm.

“Come,” she said. “We’re running late.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do have most of the next chapter already written, but it's late and I need to sleep so I'm calling it! Will hopefully have chapter 2 for you all sometime this week.
> 
> I don't know how many chapters this will end up being, I did a formless outline that came to like seven pages, and the content in the almost two chapters I have written comes not quite down to the end of the third page. So, maybe four or five chapters? IDK, this is my first (on-purpose) multi-chapter work so I'm a little nervous.
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for your patience and kind words! My heart was broken after the Sanditon finale, and not getting a second season, but you all have uplifted me and convinced me to keep going with this fic! I love you all!

Georgiana, Eliza and Sidney arrived at the ball as a bundle of nervous energy. As they entered the assembly room, they all scanned the crowd, searching for the same person. After a beat, Georgiana spoke.

“I don’t think she’s here yet,” she whispered to Sidney. He felt sick to his stomach, not for the first time that day. “I’m going to do a turn about the room.”

As she left them, Sidney spotted Lord Babington and made to meet him. To his annoyance, he found Eliza would not relinquish her grip on his arm, so he must pull her along.

“Sidney! Well met,” Babington says, shaking his hand and moving his attention to Eliza. Sidney noticed the smile become fixed on his face as he said, “And you, Mrs. Campion. Lovely.” If Eliza noticed his strain, she did not seem bothered.

“How are you, Babington?” Sidney asked.

“Quite well, quite well. Esther is in the powder room, she should be back any moment. She’ll be thrilled to see you.”

Sidney very much doubted Esther would be thrilled to see him, but he nodded anyway. His eyes scanned the room again and he realized he was tense with anticipation of seeing _her_. He wondered if Eliza felt the same, as she still stood stiffly at his elbow.

“And how is Esther?” Sidney asked Babington.

“Ah, she is doing well. And you both? How are the wedding preparations coming?” Eliza’s head snapped to face Babington as he finally mentioned a topic she cared about. Babington seemed to realize his mistake too late.

“Oh I’m so glad you asked,” she simpered. “Everything is coming along just perfectly. If you can imagine it, we’re having a great number of things shipped in from France. It’s quite expensive, but we think it will be worth it.”

“Yes,” Sidney said dryly. “After all, one only gets married once.” Sidney grabbed a champagne flute from a server and downed it.

Babington appraised Sidney, then seemed to shake his head subtly.

“Have you been here long?” Babington asked after a moment.

“Just arrived moments ago, why?”

“Ah. Well, Lord Byron is here,” Babington said. As if Sidney hadn’t already been on edge, this nearly set him off. To learn his old school rival was here, the chap who had bested him at every turn and somehow _still_ succeeded in getting under Sidney’s skin, was too much.

“Of course he is. Am I never to know peace?” Sidney said. Eliza looked curiously at him.

“Oh, don’t be so dramatic, Sidney,” she said. “It will be nice to see Richard again!”

__

Charlotte was quite confident she was going to be sick. She told Lady Susan so, but the latter merely chuckled at her.

“I will give you exactly 15 seconds to compose yourself before we enter,” she told Charlotte.

Charlotte took a deep breath, then glanced at Lady Susan and nodded. They entered together, and Charlotte was immediately overwhelmed by the volume of people within.

This was by far the most luxurious ball she had attended yet. There must have been hundreds of people there, all wearing the richest clothing, and being served fashionable French cuisine and wine on passed platters. The décor was downright excessive—Charlotte doubted there was a single surface in the place that didn’t somehow gleam or sparkle.

She hardly had time to look around before people were upon them. Charlotte knew that Lady Susan was somewhat of an icon, but it was just incredible to observe the way people seemed to worship her. They asked her where her gown had been made, who had styled her hair, what she thought of the ball. They also asked about Charlotte—who was her friend, how had they met? Lady Susan patiently answered their questions, then excused herself and Charlotte to take a turn about the room.

“CHARLOTTE!”

They hadn’t gone 10 paces before a green blur slammed into Charlotte. After getting her bearings, she realized it was Georgiana, and the girls embraced. Charlotte felt she could have cried at seeing her friend. She introduced Georgiana to Lady Susan, and the three stood for some time on the outer edges of the dance floor, reflecting on Sanditon and sampling the passed hors d’oeurvres.

“Charlotte,” Lady Susan said after some time. “I believe you have caught someone’s eye.” She smiled and nodded across the room, to where a handsome man stood, looking at her.

Oh yes, he _was_ handsome, with dark blond hair and a square jaw. Charlotte noticed that his waistcoat and tie were almost the exact shade of violet as her own gown and blushed under his gaze. He began to make his way over to where she stood, and Lady Susan tactfully escorted Georgiana away to observe.

“You don’t look familiar, are you from around here?” He asked her kindly. Up close, she could see his eyes were a striking green.

“I’m from a small village, sir,” Charlotte said, and her voice was quieter than she meant it to be. “Tonight I’m a guest of Lady Susan’s.” At her words, the man looked up to catch the gaze of Lady Susan and smiled at her.

“She is quite fortunate,” he said, “to have such a lovely guest.” Charlotte blushed again.

“I am the fortunate one, I assure you,” she told him.

“I’m Richard,” he said, smiling.

“Charlotte,” she said, cheeks absolutely blazing at the familiarity. “Charlotte Heywood.” He took her hand and pressed a kiss to the top of her glove.

“It’s very nice to meet you, Miss Charlotte Heywood. Might I intrude upon your time with Lady Susan to ask for a dance?”

“You might,” she said, smiling. Her heart was beating frantically. The last time she danced with someone, the circumstances had been so different. Could she dare dance with someone who isn’t her love?

Richard was handsome, yes, but Charlotte could not help but compare him to Sidney. Her heart ached as if it somehow knew he was there. She became very hot of a sudden, and scanned the room with her eyes. When they locked onto Sidney’s, her heart sank like a stone into her stomach.

The dance began, and Charlotte found herself unable to tear her eyes off the man standing a few meters away. His expression was drawn, Eliza clinging to his arm, and Charlotte could feel her eyes prickling with tears. She forced herself to look away and allowed her partner to pull her around the dance floor.

She looked up at him and he was gazing at her curiously.

“Do you know Sidney Parker?” He asked her. His question was not accusatory, but soft.

“I do. We met in Sanditon last summer.”

“Sanditon! Is that the venture Tom Parker started?”

“The very same,” she told him. “He invited me as a guest. Have you been?”

“I haven’t. I heard about the regatta a couple of months ago and planned on attending, but other business carried me away.”

“That’s a shame. Sanditon is a wonderful town,” Charlotte said. He smiled down at her as they whirled around.

“What’s wonderful about it?”

“Oh, everything!” Charlotte said, and she was smiling now, too. “The sun, the sea. The vistas are quite breathtaking, and I even went sea-bathing once. The water was absolutely frigid but it was a laugh!”

“You shall have to show me around sometime,” he told her.

“Oh, I was just visiting for the summer. Now I’m back home in Willingden.”

“Where is that?”

“It’s practically the middle of nowhere,” she said, and he laughed. It was a big laugh, with his head tossed back and his mouth open. It made Charlotte laugh to see such a ridiculous laugh.

“Tell me, Charlotte,” he said as the dance came to an end. “Might I steal another dance from you later?”

“I think that can be arranged,” she said, a conspiratorial smile on both of their faces. He bowed and left her, though Charlotte was not long alone. Georgiana reached her and clasped their hands together.

“Dear Charlotte, you must tell me everything!” She barely whispered, a wicked grin on her face. Charlotte smiled sadly at her.

“There’s nothing to tell. We danced, he’s polite and charming—”

“And he looked at you as if you hung the moon!” Georgiana finished. Charlotte gave her a stern look, though her heart twisted painfully.

“If I’m being honest—” Charlotte began.

“And you almost always are,” Georgiana added.

“There is only one person I wish to look at me that way, and he is promised to another.” Georgiana gripped Charlotte’s hands tighter and began to steer her around the room.

“You once comforted me when my heart was broken, and I never got to be there for you when you experienced the same.” She fixed Charlotte with a solemn look. Charlotte offered her a small smile.

“I know you would have done the same if you could,” she said.

“Honestly, Charlotte, I think you’re well shot of him,” Georgiana said playfully.

“Yes, you would think that,” Charlotte replied.

“Seriously, he is very much back to his usual self since you’ve gone, all gruff and no nonsense. It’s driving me mad to be holed up with him and that vile woman. They are sickening.” As Georgiana continued on her diatribe, Charlotte began to feel lightheaded.

She knew that Sidney was strong, and he had been through much more harrowing ordeals in his life than parting from her. Even so, she had hoped that he would be broken up at having lost her. After all, hadn’t he told her he was his best and truest self around her? Hadn’t he come just a hair’s breadth from proposing marriage to her?

Was it possible he could forget her so quickly? It was true that he had taken quickly to Mrs. Campion when she appeared at the last London ball they had attended together. Hadn’t they been near inseparable after that, practically ignoring Charlotte at the sand castle contest and insulting her at the regatta?

Charlotte had read enough love stories to know how it was meant to go: The great love endures, transcending time—even a decade—and brings the fateful lovers together in the end, no matter the collateral damage. She knew, despite what Lady Susan said, that Sidney Parker was not her destiny. And yet, why did it feel like his very presence in the same room was crushing her windpipe?

“Georgiana, please excuse me,” Charlotte said, turning on her heel to flee the room. She nearly bowled right into the very couple whose unity was suffocating her, and only spared a moment to give them a feeble smile before running as fast as she could from the building.

__

Sidney thought he might be going quite mad. Watching Charlotte twirling around the dance floor looking immaculate, on the arm of none other than Richard Byron, was making his brain short-circuit.

On the one hand, knowing he would never be able to dance with her again, he was drinking in the image of her, mouth open in a half-formed laugh, skirts swinging about her as she danced. If he couldn’t be the one to give her that happiness, it was nearly enough knowing she could still smile after what he had done to her.

On the other hand, the man providing her that joy was his enduring rival, which made Sidney want to rip his hair out. It was not enough, apparently, that Byron had done better both in school and in life pursuits—now he was to win over the love of Sidney’s life too. Indeed, they made a handsome pair, in matching violet clothing, as if destiny had pushed them together.

The thought of seeing Charlotte fall in love with anyone else but him already made him want to peel his flesh from his body, but for a courtship to begin with _him_? It was a cruel jape.

If he expected relief to come when the dance ended, he was quite wrong. They did not part for a few moments after, opting instead to grin at each other indecently like no one else could see them. When Byron bowed and left her, Sidney had half a mind to walk up—

No, that would be improper. And he saw that Georgiana was keeping Charlotte company now. Charlotte looked almost sad, like she wished she could keep dancing with the unscrupulous cad.

As the two young women turned their backs to him, Sidney was seeing red. He had half a mind to set this all straight with Byron once and for all. Perhaps a few blows to the chin would fix his ideas about messing with _his _Charlotte. Even as Sidney wound himself up over this, he could feel himself deflating. The long and short of it was that his feelings did not matter. As fiercely as he loved her and wanted to be the one to keep her safe and happy and healthy, he had not been found worthy of her.

He contented himself to watch her retreat from him, finding it apt, until he saw her visibly tense at something Georgiana was telling her. When she suddenly turned and ran at him, he panicked.

He felt Eliza pull him toward her as Charlotte knocked into his shoulder on her way out of the room. The contact was electric, and Sidney found himself pulling against Eliza’s grip on him to rush after her.

“Sidney, where has your mind gone?” Eliza whispered to him, each word deadly sharp and punctuated by her anger. “We are in public. Get a grip.” He relaxed as she continued to pull him away.

Sidney watched Charlotte’s skirts disappear around the door—gone. And, moments later, he saw Lord Byron follow behind her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I still don't have a great idea of how many chapters this will be! Usually I like to outline and plan all my stories but I'm having fun just kinda seeing where this one ends up. I'm on vacation right now so hoping to make a big dent in this story if not finish it completely!


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